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"Music Folk Features: A Brief History of the Banjo." 2003. 21 Aug. 2014In reality the banjo originated hundreds of years ago somewhere on the African continent
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The banjo was brought to America by slaves from Africa
The first banjos in the United States had two, three or four strings made from horsehair, grass or catgut. -
"History of the Banjo." Thomas Jefferson writes "The instrument proper to them (i.e. the slaves) is the Banjar, which they brought hither from Africa."
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" In the early 1800's, a few whites learned to play, such as the notable Joel Walker Sweeney, who learned the instrument from the people working on his father's farm."
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The addition of the shorter 'chanter,' 'drone,' 'thumb,'or fifth string created a more pleasant sound.
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As the Civil War rolled around, some musicians (probably influenced by the guitar) turned away from the old style of playing and started finger-picking the banjo
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frets are the ridges of wood set across the fingerboard, which helps the finger stop the strings at any correct point
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revived banjo with album "foggy mountain breakdown"
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Thankfully the Banjo has not fullied died out and is still in todays country music.
